Listen
by ariviand
Summary: Birthday fic requested by PerfectAspiration. Magnus takes the night off to enjoy some alone-time with Alec. One-shot.


**Listen**  
birthday request fic for The PerfectAspiration

**A/N: **I know I still owe a lot of updates on a lot of things, and I hope to get to them directly. But I received this unexpected request for an one-shot. I thought maybe it might be a nice exercise to get me back into writing fanfic again. My mind just hasn't been here. Sorry FF readers for my failure.

Here were the request parameters:

wanted:  
*sexy Malec lemon +  
*Alec tops +  
*detail! =

ENJOY

* * *

The call box had been disconnected. All of the lights were out in the apartment. Finally, Magnus set the phone messages on both his personal cell and land-line, claiming that the warlock was overseas on business and unless their issue was worth the price of an international phone call, he would get back to them in approximately two to three business days. Tah.

Powering down his cell, Magnus tossed it onto the love seat, hopefully forgotten for the balance of the evening. The gossip network could wait. His affairs could wait. The high warlock of Brooklyn was taking the night off.

It was such a pain just preparing to relax, it was no wonder Magnus rarely took time off. A few hours in the middle of the day to steal a quick nap, marking off a slot in his evening to get a pedicure or catch a pirated television program, that was an indulgence.

Closing down shop to spend the whole of his evening with Alec, that was unthinkable.

Truth be told, Magnus had no idea when exactly the shadowhunter would arrive. There was even a slight chance this might be one of those unbearable nights when his Nephilim brothers-at-arms kept him away until near-dawn, in which case even Magnus couldn't compel an exhausted Alec to make the commute between Manhattan and Brooklyn in order to steal a few hours for lazing in bed with him before Alec inevitably had to go back.

Magnus frowned at the thought, snapping the lighter open. The tiny flame touched the used wick of the candle, taking its time to catch and flare up. It would be disheartening to think he had gone to such great lengths just to lay in bed with Chairman Meow scratching at the door, listening to the restless traffic outside and the occasional passerby, waiting and hoping to distinguish the familiar footsteps of his boyfriend's boots ascending the stairs to the flat, only to attempt to muffle them as he crossed the shadowy interior of the empty apartment. Magnus would smirk and glance sidelong at the closed door of the bedroom, ears attuned to even the slightest shifting of the floorboards. Really, Alec should know by now that there was no surprising Magnus, not when he was conscious. Asleep, on the other hand, little disturbed him. Unfortunately, that was how Alec succeeded in slipping away so many mornings without the warlock noticing or having the opportunity to delay him or hope to coax him back to bed.

Candles lit, Magnus glanced over one shoulder towards the open doorway. Out of view but certainly within range of his hearing, Chairman Meow was taking out his frustrations on the side of the couch. His untrimmed nails kneaded the colorful, already frayed material, catching with a series of sharp pops and releases. Unphased, Magnus left the cat to his toy, not particularly concerned with most of the furniture outside of his own bedroom. It was with the same sense of ambivalence that he raised the rest of the apartment for each party he threw, removing the doors from the hinges and turning them into serving tables, not worried in the least should wine be spilled on his sofa or a fight between werewolves break out, resulting in the ruination of the coffee table or the television set. It was a natural consequence of being an entertainer and a good-humored host. Of course, it was also the result of being incredibly lazy and unmotivated.

If he had to prioritize his own possessions, Magnus would rank his jars of powder, his high thread count sheets, and his ever-growing collection of Parisian bath oils at the top. His leather collection was a close second, though Chairman Meow had a particular fascination with all things leather, caught on more than one occasion trying to shed the seams of his pant legs and thoroughly abusing his boots, until his master snapped him out of the closet and as far from the bedroom as possible without forcing him from the apartment - at least long enough to survey the damage and hiss obscenities at the undersized feline and his destructive appreciation for hot fashion.

While Meow was still distracted by the couch, Magnus waved his wrist, the bedroom door sliding closed with a drawn-out creak of protest and a soft click at the end. He made a mental note to deal with the door later.

An hour must have passed while Magnus lounged across unmade bed, tugging at the same corner of the sheet restlessly, bunching the bright material between his fingertips and alternately nudging the pillows into a more comfortable arrangement. He tried reading a book, ended up tossing it off the bed before finishing the second chapter. The warlock powered up his cell long enough to check the time and note that his inbox was already full. Dispassionately, he shut it off again and dropped it none too gently to the floor, impatient with the slow-moving evening and the absence of his only scheduled appointment. The entire night had been blocked off for the purpose of spending quality time with Alec Lightwood, a task he meant to fulfill.

Another hour dragged past. Magnus was on his knees rearranging his shoes, listening to the sound of a creaking headboard and squealing bedframe in the apartment next door and trying not to let the implication eat him away with envy. Still, it galled the warlock to think that someone down the hall should be making the most of his evening while he was crawling through the recesses of his overstuffed closet, trying to find matching boots in between the mess of open shoe boxes, piles of belts, and shirts that had been haphazardly ripped from their hangers at some point, no doubt due to Magnus's impatience and indecisiveness when it came to deciding what to wear.

Finding another shredded shoe - one Magnus had actually dropped his own money on the week prior, he growled at Chairman Meow, grateful for the barrier of clutter in his closet and a closed door preventing him from scruffing the cat and glaring at him until Chairman Meow swatted at his face or Magnus willed him into a mouse, whichever came first.

Tossing the useless footwear aside, Magnus rose and angrily shoved a cluster of empty hangers out of his face, giving up on the busy work. He had half a mind to set the entirety of his closet on fire. If the flames happened to bleed into the neighboring apartment and interrupt the happy activity still knocking against the shared wall, so be it.

And then he heard it, the unmistakable sound of the front door easing open, and being gently closed again. The bolt slid into place. Soft, muted footsteps cut across the empty flat, pausing only long enough to stroke the cat.

"Did he remember to feed you?" Alec fondly murmured. Magnus caught himself smiling with anticipation, willing the shadowhunter to ignore Chairman Meow and continue onward to the bedroom.

But he heard his footfalls moving in the wrong direction and the warlock sighed. Fine. He had waited this long; he could wait a little longer. Chairman Meow would be less of a nuissance if he was fed.

Magnus tried not to pace or arrange himself like a greedy harlot along the bedspread as he waited for Alec. He considered standing directly in front of the door and simply greeting the shadowhunter there, face to face, looming over him as the door slid open. Magnus could fill up the doorway, one long-fingered hand splayed against the frame, the sleeve of his kimono draping diagonally from his uplifted arm to his too-slender waist, his opposite hip leaning into edge of the doorway, leaving no room for the Nephilim to pass him by without paying the toll. He would take pleasure in watching the emotions play over Alec's face, from the initial shock and embarrassment to the eager look in his bright eyes, showing Magnus just how much he missed him even if he was too flushed and at a loss for words to properly express it. Then Magnus could take hold of his drab clothing and pull him back into the warmth of his bedroom, the door shutting with finality behind them before Chairman Meow could intercede on the long-awaited reunion.

No, he would save that approach for another night. Magnus didn't want to look as desperately overeager as he felt. Instead, let Alec think he had finally given up hope of seeing him tonight and had gone to bed. Then he could still enjoy taking an unsuspecting Alec by surprise, and he would have him exactly where he wanted, trapped in his bed for the balance of the night.

Leaving the candles burning low, Magnus climbed up into bed, crawling across the roomy mattress and settling on the right side of the bed, facing the opposite wall, his right fist curled beneath his chin. It was the complete opposite of how he slept when Alec shared the bed with him: then, he curled up with a fellow warm body, pressed flush against Alec's slender, but strong back, his thigh draped across his boyfriend's or at least brushing the back it, his fingers idly tracing the marks along his lower arm or stroking his stomach, mouth quirking when Alec muttered in his sleep, objecting to the ticklish touch. But as the bed was vacant and cold, Magnus turned away from Alec's scent in the sheets, affording the shadowhunter a view of his curled back, legs hidden beneath the covers when the door finally eased open.

Alec tried to be quiet about it, but he was betrayed by the disobedient hinges, the tell-tale creaking.

Magnus's little smile was hidden from view, though he feigned sleep, his glittering eyelids closed against the small point of light seeping in through the hallway.

The door clicked shut, the seldom used lock sliding into place. Alec paused, perhaps to judge if Magnus was still asleep or if he should disturb him.

The heavy weight of fabric hit the floor, a zipper scraping against wood. Relieved of his coat, Magnus heard the soft intake of Alec's breath as he balanced on one leg in order to remove his boot, setting it down as quietly as possible. The other one was removed, and Magnus opened his eyes half-way, staring expectantly at the dark wall, hungry for the light dip in the mattress, eager for Alec to cross the room and be with him.

Another sliver of material hit the floor. Alec's shirt. Magnus touched his tongue to his lower lip, tasting the sweet wax of his lip balm as Alec's fingers fumbled with the metal of his buckle, pulling the leather carefully through the loops. Magnus cursed the obstacle of a button and a zipper, biting his lip impatiently as he imagined Alec's calloused fingers were prying the stubborn button loose. Magnus clearly heard the metal teeth parting and his breath caught, waiting for the pants to join the balance of his clothing on the floor.

It didn't come.

The mattress dipped down as Alec crawled into place. He gently eased half the covers aside, but instead of sliding beneath them, Magnus felt the mattress sink further.

Hot breath teased his cheek and Magnus forgot his eyes were open and that he was supposed to be asleep. He was too absorbed in the nearness of Alec, distracted by his human body heat, the smell of his skin and hair, leather and fresh marks and clean soap. A thrill walked down the length of Magnus's spine; he barely resisted the urge to shudder with delight.

"I knew you were awake," Alec breathed.

Magnus rolled over onto his back, shoulder nudging Alec's splayed hand where it rested against the sheet. He smiled up at the shadowhunter, not entirely disappointed that his plan had been foiled. He still had what he wanted, Alec in his bed.

"Oh?"

Even in the dim light of the room, there was no mistaking the flush to Alec's face, concentrated in his cheeks.

"You never sleep on your left side."

Magnus lifted a single, challenging brow, but Alec wasn't finished. "And you're still wearing your kimono."

"So I am," Magnus murmured, the sleeve falling away from his right arm as he lifted his hand to cup Alec's cheek.

"You never sleep..." Alec began, but was stopped short, breath exhaling loudly between them. It could have been his hesitation to point out that Magnus always slept in the nude, the single sheet and a thin blanket as much insulation as he could tolerate - or perhaps it was the distraction of Magnus's wandering fingertip, stroking along the line of his jaw and teasing the softness of his lower lip.

"I don't want to sleep without you," Magnus replied. The sweetness made Alec flush darker, as if he were still teasing him. Still so self-aware, so responsive... so beautiful.

Magnus moved to lean up on his elbow, but Alec anticipated him, bowing his head and pressing his flushed mouth against the warlock's parted lips. They pushed together, lips flattening out, breath crushed, tongues seeking, mouths sealed with the first kiss.

This was more than worth the wait, Magnus mused as his painted fingernails slid back into Alec's hair, tangling around the longer strands at the nape of his neck, nails just pricking the soft skin as he tried to keep him captive there within the relentless string of kisses.

Alec obliged him, though his lower lip was flushed, already abused, and his face burned within the warlock's grasp.

"Let me," Magnus purred, his free hand pushing at the loose waistband, gently tugging on Alec's pants. When Alec didn't move to stop him, Magnus released his mouth and peeled his pants down from his sides, using his foot beyond the point where his arms could reach without having to sit up. Alec wasn't terribly helpful in the process, leaving distracted kisses along Magnus's throat, nuzzling aside the patterned silk to kiss the warlock's bare, glittering shoulder.

"I'm sorry I was late," Alec apologized, lifting his burning face. "I-"

"No," Magnus stopped him, touching the pad of his pointer to Alec's lips. "You're here now."

Alec still kissed that fingertip in apology. Magnus could guess what kept him, judging by the fresh bruising along his side and the faintly burnt smell of the fading marks. It was always the same; he couldn't really fault him for doing his job. It would be too much to ask for them both to enjoy the night off together. Magnus conceded to stealing time where he could.

For now, he stole another kiss, hooking one leg around Alec's hip, swallowing the shadowhunter's gasp. Magnus's fingertips buzzed with energy, blue flames dancing between his fingers and Alec's skin. He casually stroked the discolored skin across his ribs, letting the magic absorb into Alec's wounded body. Alec shivered and gripped the sheets with one hand, breathing Magnus's name against the warlock's chin, his breathing picking up.

Healing Alec was almost as good as foreplay. It awakened his body in much the same way, warming the surface of his skin and making the shadowhunter dance with pleasure. After all trace of the contusions had been erased, Magnus was pleasantly shocked to feel Alec's weight rising above him, insistent, a knee digging into the mattress as shaking fingers pried at the sash of the kimono, Alec cursing under his breath when he couldn't get it untied fast enough.

Magnus chuckled, lowering his own hand between them. He released the knot with a single tug and the loose silk slid down his arms. Shifting, Magnus let the kimono fall away, sliding to the floor, forgotten.

The candles burned dangerously low, the room smelling of pooling wax and smoke. Magnus tilted his head back against the cluster of pillows, smiling as Alec rocked against him through the thin barrier of his briefs, increasingly impatient. The warlock's shameless hand slid down his lower back, skirting over sticky skin and pushed inside the cotton underwear, cupping him.

He was rewarded with another gasp and an excited jerk, Alec grinding against the heat of his inner thigh.

"I've missed you, baby," Magnus crooned, stroking warm skin and lifting the opposite leg, tightening his grip around him.

"God, Magnus..." Alec barely managed, his voice strained. It was obvious just how much the shadowhunter missed him, judging by how eager he was for their reunion.

Magnus only pretended to be patient. But he didn't hesitate to tug on Alec's briefs, pushing them down in the same manner in which he'd discarded the pants, only they were buried somewhere between the twisted sheets.

Within minutes the headboard started rocking, the bedsprings rhythmically creaking, the happy sounds carrying back through the wall in retribution.

Alec bit his lip to keep himself quiet, breathing harshly through his nose. Magnus purred and moaned with abandon, no qualms about voicing his pleasure.

Ignored in the background, Chairman Meow started scratching at the door.


End file.
